Chicken or fowl fountain.



PATENTED DEC. 15, 1903.

S. H. CHURCH. CHICKEN 0R FOWL FOUNTAIN.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR 164 1903.

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' UNITED STATES Patented December 15, 1903.

PATENT QFFIcE.

CHICKEN OR FOWL FOUNTAIN.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 746,790, dated December 15, 1903.

Application filed March 16, 1903- .Zo all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, STEPHEN H. CHURCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Chicken or Fowl Fountain, of which the following is a specification.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved drinking-fountain which is highly sanitary, convenient for filling, emptying,

improved construction for forming ears for Fig. III is a plan view of the fountain.

the bail and means for chainbering the bail for convenient storage and shipping and also to afiord convenient means for hanging the fountain on a nail against a wall.

Another object is to provide a novel construction whereby the parts of the fountain are more securely held together when the reservoir has a supply of water in it than when the reservoir is empty. 1

Another object is to provide a novel guard for preventing the fowls from perchingon the top of the fountain.

Referring to the drawings, Figure I is a perspective view of the fountain. Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken on line 11 II, Fig. III. Fig. IV is a plan view showing the blank from which the cup is formed. Fig. V is a plan View showing the blank from which the top and back sides of the reservoir are formed.

-Fig. VI is a plan 'view showing the blank from which three sides'of the reservoir is formed. Fig. VII is a plan view of the removable pyramidal top. Fig. VIII is a plan view of the blank from which the pyramidal top is formed.

The fountain comprises a retaining receptacle or reservoir which stands in a containing receptacle or cup, against one wall of which the reservoir is arranged and hinged thereto. The reservoir has a closed top and an open bottom and is constructed and arranged to stand in the cup.

fierial No. 147,916. (No model.)

Referring to Fig. I, 1 designates the cup,

which is preferably rectangular and shallow,

the walls being of a height sufficient to retain enough water at a time to allow the fowls to drink from and yet being sufficiently low so that the fowls can easily reach the water without stretching their necks. The cup is beaded along its entire upper edge, the bead being preferably on the outside, so as to afiord a smooth interior. Fig. IV shows the blank from which the cup is formed.

2 designates a reservoir, the bottom of which is open and the top of which is closed. The top of the reservoir is sloping, as shown, and around three sides of the top are upwardly-projecting walls 3, the lower side of the top being left open. This allows the top to be scrubbed off and permits of the reservoir being kept clean and also drains 0E any rain-water and prevents it from carrying dust into the trough. The reservoir is smaller in plan than the cup 1,'so that as the reservoir sets close to the-rear wall of the cup 1 it provides a trough 4 around three sides of the reservoir, from which the fowls may drink. The reservoir is provided with hinges 5, which are connected to the back wall of the cup 1.

6 is a spring-tongue which is fastened to the cup 1, desirably by riveting, as at 7. The upper portion of the tongue is rounded, as at 8, and is provided with a perforation 9, which perforation is adapted to receive a stud 10, which projects from the reservoir 2. By springing back the tongue 6 the reservoir is disengaged from the stud 10 and is free to be swung on its hinges 5.

l1 designates a bail which is fastened to opposite walls 3. The bail is constructed so that when folded down it will lie fiat against the top of the reservoir, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. II. The bail 11 being thus readily housed does not interfere when the fountain is inverted for the purpose of filling.

The lower portion of the front wall of the reservoir 2 is provided with a vent 13, which serves to regulate the height of the waterlevel maintained in the trough 4.

In filling the fountain it is first inverted, the bail 11 having been housed, and the catch 6 is disengaged, and the cup 1 is thens Wong open to uncover the reservoir 2. The reservoir may then be filled with water, after which the cup 1 is swung back into place and automatically latched by the catch 6. The fountain may then be restored to its normal upright position. When the fountain is upright, water will leak out from the reser voir 2 into the cup 1 through the crack between the reservoir and cup and will fill the trough t until the level in the trough at rises to the vent 13, at which time the water will cease flowing from the reservoir into the cup. When the level falls below the vent 13, the air from without enters through the vent and bubbles up into the interior of the reservoir 2 and allows more water to leak out through the bottom, which leaking continues until the level in the trough 4.has again been raised to the vent 13. Thus there is always water in the trough 4, provided that there is water in the reservoir 2 to supply the same.

The construction of the fountain is such that in drinking several fowls can be accommodated at once, as the trough 4 extends around three sides.

It will be seen that there is plenty of free space in the cup around the reservoir to provide for expansion and. contraction, and should the water freeze in the fountain no injury will result, as the parts of the fountain can spring considerably.

It should be understood that I contemplate making such changes and variations in the particular construction shown as will lie within the spirit of my invention.

Thereservoir is desirably rectangular in plan, and the spring-tongue 6 is inclined inwardly toward the wall of the reservoir and is seated a slight distance from the line to which the edge of the unfilled reservoir when closed down will come, so that the weight of the water in the reservoir may bulge out the edge of the reservoir against the base of the tongue, thus to make the fastening more secure until the reservoir is nearly empty, when the wall may resume its normal position and the catch can he the more easily released.

14 designates a removable pyramidal top which is provided with flanges 15. The top 14 may he slipped over the inclined top of the reservoir, the flanges 15 sliding under the beads. The pyramidal top 14 being pointed and sloping prevents the fowls from roosting on the top of the fountain and also sheds the rain-water, discharging it at that side of the cup against which the reservoir stands.

Fig. VII shows the pyramidal top removed from the fountain. The removal of the same is readily effected and makes it easier in cleaning and packing the fountain.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A cup, an open-bottom reservoir, one wall of which is arranged against one wall of the cup and hinged thereto, constructed and arranged to stand therein and provided with a vent which is below the level of the wall of the cup when the reservoir is standing therein; saidcup being of greater plan dimensions than the reservoir and arranged to form an open channel around three sides thereof when the reservoir is upright therein; and interacting catches on the reservoir and cup to hold the reservoir from moving on its hinge. 2. A cup, and a reservoir arranged against one wall of the cup to stand therein, said cup being of greater plandimensions than the reservoir and provided with a top constructed to discharge all the water that falls thereon across the wall of the cup against which the reservoir stands.

3. A cup, a reservoir standing in said cup against one wall thereof, said cup being of greater plan dimensions than the reservoir, the walls of the reservoir being extended above the top of the reservoir whereby water falling onsaid top is discharged at the side thereof which stands against the aforementioned wall of the cup.

4. A cup, a reservoir hinged to the upper edge of one wall of the cup, said reservoir having an open bottom and a closed inclined top, walls extending upward at three sides of the top the lower edge of the top being clear.

5. A cup, a reservoir hinged tothe upper edge of the cup, a spring-tongue fastened to the bottom of the cup, and inclined inwardly toward the wall of the reservoir and seated a slight distance from the lower edge of the reservoir, the upper end of the tongue being curved and provided with a perforation, and a stud on the reservoir projecting into said perforation.

6. A cup, a reservoir hinged to the upper edge of one wall of the cup, the top of the reservoir being inclined, a spring-catch for fastening the reservoir to the cup and a removable pyramidal top detachably fastened to the inclined top.

7. A cup, a reservoir hinged to the upper edge of one wall of the cup, the top of the reservoir being inclined, a spring-catch for fastening the reservoir to the cup and a removable pyramidal top detachably fastened to the inclined top, walls extending upward at three sides of the top of the reservoir, said walls being formed by folding over the edge of the metal thereby forming a head, the lower edge of the top being free, and flanges on each side of the pyramidal top which engage the beads on the opposite walls of the top.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, this 10th day of March, 1903.

STEPHEN H. CHURCH.

Witnesses:

GEORGE T. HACKLEY, JOHN A. MoRRIs. 

